


Recovery

by SymphonicWinds



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 11:32:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4563012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymphonicWinds/pseuds/SymphonicWinds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven attempts to contact Connie, who has been absent from school for almost three weeks. TW: Mentions of Rape. Steven/Connie friendship. Highschool!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recovery

_You have 5 new messages._

_First message._

“Connie? Connie, it’s me, Steven. Where are you? You weren’t at school today, which I guess isn’t a big deal, but you’re  _never_ away. Are you sick? Should I come over? Call me back, please.”

_End of first message._

_Second message._

“Connie, are you okay? It’s been three days… you’re  _never_ away from school this long. I tried coming over but your parents told me that you weren’t feeling well. I hope you feel better; I’ll come tomorrow with fresh fruits for you! Pearl told me that fruits have some sort of vitamins that help combat the cold? Even if they don’t, they’re still good, right? … anyway, call me back when you’re feeling better. Bye!”

_End of second message._

_Third message_.  
“Uh, hi, Connie. I hoped you liked the fruit basket! I dropped it off for you today … no one was home, so I just put it on your doorstep. Umm, I put kiwis, strawberries, bananas, oranges, and pears. I know pears are your favourite so I made sure to put in extra. I wanted to put in some strawberry jam too, but Pearl said that you shouldn’t be having too much artificial sugar if you’re sick. Connie… I hope you get over your cold soon. Make sure to tell me when you’re feeling better, so I can come and visit you! I hope you feel better, bye!”

_End of third message._

_Fourth message._

“Connie, I’m  _really_ starting to get worried. It’s almost been two weeks and you’re  _still_  not better! I know Mrs. Maheswaran is a doctor and everything, but colds aren’t normally two weeks long, are they? I… don’t actually know. I’ll ask Pearl when I get home. Pearl is worried about you too! She says you might have gotten sick from that party you went to a couple weeks ago… how was that, anyway? You never told me about what happened… you seem to have gotten sick right after. Everyone at school has been talking about it, though, and from what it sounds like it was really fun! I hope you had a good time. I kind of wish I could have come, but you know. Gem duties, and all that. Um, I hope you feel better, Connie. I’ll try to visit you tomorrow, okay? Bye!”

_End of fourth message._

_Fifth message._

“Connie… is there something you’re not telling me? There have been rumours around the school… I don’t really want to believe them, because I _know_ you wouldn’t do it but… did you  _really_ sleep with-“

Connie turned off her phone and threw it across the room, burying her face in her hands. She clenched her eyes and breathed deeply, as she tried to force away the memories that were surfacing in her mind.

She was fine. She was fine. She was  _fine_.

She knew she would have to go to school eventually, because she was  _fine_  but the thought of seeing  _him_ leering at her made her want to throw up and break down at the same time. 

Because she was  _fine,_ but she wasn’t.

A small part of her doubted that she would ever be fine again.

“Connie?”

Connie’s eyes flung open in shock as she turned her head to see Steven, stepping cautiously into her room.

“Steven?! How did you get in?” Her eyes darted around her normally organized room; suddenly feeling acutely aware of the piled dishes and pile of dirty laundry sitting blatantly in the open. She quickly pulled the blanket over her face, desperate to hide her own disheveled appearance from him.

“Your mom let me in,” he said, simply. He sat down at her desk, and turned the chair to face her, his face unreadable. Her anxiety waned a bit; she could feel the muscles relaxing in her body as she slowly dropped the blanket and let it settle around her legs.

 _It’s just Steven. He’s not going to hurt you. You’re fine. You’re_ fine.

There was an awkward silence between them before Steven interjected, “So… I guess you’re over that cold, huh?”

Connie looked away, unable to meet Steven’s strong gaze; it was almost like he was burning his worry into her. “Yeah… I got over it recently…”

He frowned at her, clearly not convinced, “Did something happen? You haven’t been answering my calls-“

“I know, I know! I’m sorry, but I’ve just been… busy.” Connie’s face flushed as she tried to block more memories from resurfacing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to mentally steady herself, “I’ll be back in school soon, so you don’t need to worry.”

She glanced over, in hope that Steven’s face would relax. Unfortunately, the same worried expression was plastered onto his face. “Connie, if there’s anything you need to talk about, I’m here-“

“Steven, I’m  _fine_. Okay? Fine. I’m fine.” Her voice shook her eyes began to sting with tears, which she determinedly blinked out of her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t  _sound_ fine,” Steven said firmly. He moved closer to her, in an attempt to comfort her. Her eyes widened as she watched his hand reach over to her, and her anxiety spiked.

“Connie-“

” _ **DON’T TOUCH ME!**_ ”

The sound of the her hand swatting his away echoed with her voice, leaving the room silent as Steven withdrew his hand from her. Connie’s entire body was still as her own words reverberated inside of her, her mind spinning as her mental defenses finally collapsed and everything came rushing back in. She pressed the tips of her fingers as her breathing became heavy; it was too much, everything was too much.

Even Steven was too much.

“Connie…” Steven’s voice pierced through her, bringing her back to reality. Connie looked over and saw that he had returned to the seat at her desk. “I’m sorry.”

“I…” Her entire mind was still as the tears started slipping down her face; her body began to shake as she shut her eyes tight and clenched her hands in an attempt to regain control over the numbness that was spreading through her body.

_You’re fine. You’re fine. You’re fine. He won’t hurt you, you’re fine._

“Connie… if you don’t want me to be here, that’s okay. I can go if you want…”

Connie opened her eyes to see Steven slowly exiting her room, and scrambled up to stop him. She grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving, her eyes wide with desperation.

“No, no! It’s fine. I  _want_ you to be here; it’s okay. Really.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you-“

Connie could feel another stab of pain hit her, causing her to grab onto Steven’s shirt, staining it with her tears as she buried herself into him.

“Please… Steven… just stay…”

His arms slowly came around her, hugging her tight as she cried. She could smell his natural scent on his shirt; the smell of cookie cats, of the Beach, of Lion and of _him_. Of safety. Of home.

She was fine.

Finally when her breathing steadied and the tears stopped, she gently released herself from Steven’s embrace and sat him down next to her at the foot of her bed. She wiped away the last of her tears and sighed. “I’m sorry for hitting you, Steven.”

Steven shook his head vigorously, “No, it’s fine. It was my fault for invading your personal space like that. Not your fault.”

Connie chuckled, and rearranged herself to sit cross legged in front of him. “I guess… I owe you an explanation of where I’ve been for the last couple of weeks, huh.”

Steven smiled softly, and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. “Only if you’re okay with it.”

Connie could feel a lump in her throat form as she nodded, trying to ignore the feelings of anxiety threatening to pull her down again.

_Step one to recovery is to talk to people about it. You can’t let it fester in your mind forever, Connie._

She could trust Steven. He was her best friend- he would  _never_ hurt her.

She could do this.

“Do you remember that party I went to, the one that Sour Cream was holding?”

“Yeah, the one in Buck Dewey’s mansion, right? It was all anyone could talk about for weeks.”

“Well…” Connie took a deep breath, fighting the memories that were trying to resurface, “I… got assaulted. Raped. I got raped by Kevin, at Sour Cream’s party.”

Steven’s face slackened as the news hit him, he immediately leaned over to hug her again.

“I’m so sorry, Connie. I’m so, so, so sorry.”

Connie smiled as she squeezed back, “It’s okay, Steven. I’m fine. Thank you.”

He released her and settled back down in front of her. “Are you okay? You’re not-“

“Pregnant? No. I… took medicine for that. I’m okay, physically.”

 “Okay.” Steven took Connie’s hand, and held it gently. “Thanks for telling me. That must have taken a lot to say.”

For the first time in a  _while,_ Connie smiled, and squeezed Steven’s hand. “No… thank you for seeing me today. I… missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I put my feelings into a fanfiction.


End file.
